Who Fills In For Injured Anaheim Ducks Center Nate Thompson?

For every NHL player, battling through injury is just part of the job. The Anaheim Ducks announced earlier this week that center Nate Thompson would need shoulder surgery. Thompson, The first year Duck who was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning last summer, injured himself in the Ducks final regular season game against Arizona. It forced him to miss the Ducks first round series against the Winnipeg Jets but Thompson returned against the Flames and Blackhawks just as any gritty hockey player would. Thompson was a workhorse for the Ducks in the second round as well as in the conference finals despite playing through a serious shoulder injury.

Thompson’s surgery was reported as successful but the 30 year old will miss 5-6 months as two labral tears in his shoulder were repaired and he likely won’t return to the Ducks lineup until mid to late November.

This is a bump in the road for the Ducks due to Thompson’s great play during his first season as a Duck. Thompson won 54.6% of his face-offs during the regular season and 61% of his face-offs when he returned to the Ducks lineup for their final 12 playoff games. Thompson was a regular on the penalty kill and played some key defensive minutes.

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The advanced statistics suggest that Thompson was the most important Ducks forward from a defensive standpoint as well. ZSO% is an advanced statistic that shows the percentage of offensive zone face-offs a player was on the ice for compared to defensive zone face-offs that they were on the ice for. This statistic generally suggests how a player is used as a higher percentage means a player was on the ice for more offensive situations and face-offs while a lower percentage suggest a player is used more defensively and may take more defensive zone draws.

Thompson’s ZSO% during the regular season was 43.5% (lowest on the Ducks) and during the postseason it dropped to 39.5% (lowest on the Ducks). This means that Thompson was used in key defensive situations and was relied upon to win those extremely important defensive zone face-offs.

Thompson was arguably the Ducks most important depth forward this season and his early absence to start next season leaves Ducks GM Bob Murray with some important decisions to make. The Ducks really have four ways they can replace Thompson until he returns from injury in November.

Option 1- Free Agency

The Ducks have a favorable salary cap situation heading into the free agency period and replacing Thompson with a low costing free agent is clearly an option.

Notable Free Agent Centers (’14-’15 Team) (’14-’15 Cap Hit): Gregory Campbell (Boston $1.7M) Derek Roy (Edmonton $1M) Carl Soderberg (Boston $1M) Andrew Desjardins (Chicago $750,000) Scott Gomez (New Jesey $550,000)

While adding one of these free agent centers could be cheap and an effective fix to begin the ’15-’16 season, it might not be the best option. Thompson is likely to be back by December 1st which would mean he is going to miss around 25 games. While that is a significant amount of time missed, replacing Thompson with a free agent center would likely mean whoever the Ducks bring in would either be traded or placed on waivers once Thompson returns. The impressive play of Rickard Rakell as the 3rd line center last season makes signing a cheap free agent center an ineffective strategy once Thompson returns.

Verdict: Don’t sign a free agent center to replace Thompson.

Option 2- Trade

The Ducks acquired Thompson from the Tampa Bay Lightning last summer for a pretty cheap price. If Bob Murray can find a center who would only cost him a 6th or 7th round pick then maybe a trade will solve the early season problem that Thompson’s absence presents.

However, like I mentioned previously about signing a free agent, the emergence of Rickard Rakell means whoever the Ducks acquire via trade is likely to be traded once again or waived upon Nate’s return unless they can play on the wing as well.

Verdict: If the right trade presents itself then this is a possibility but the verdict is still No, do not trade for a center.

Option 3- Tomas Fleischmann

Tomas Fleischmann is now 31 years old and the veteran was acquired before the trade deadline because he is a skilled forward who is also very reliable. Boudreau has high praise for Fleischmann from his days coaching the Washington Capital’s teams that Fleischmann was apart of.

Fleischmann is a free agent and needs a new deal but he is a winger who has a history of playing center which he did on a number of occasions for the Ducks this past season. If Murray re-signs Fleischmann for cheap then this could be a very good option as Fleischmann is a strong two-way forward who could easily handle 4th line center responsibilities for the first 25 games of the season. Once Thompson returns to the lineup it will put Fleischmann back at wing as a depth forward, the same role he played once he was acquired by the Ducks.

Verdict: This is likely the best option. Re-sign Fleischmann for cheap and have him play center for the first part of the season. Once Thompson returns it puts Fleischmann back at wing and a trade or waive of a player is not necessary like it would be if the Ducks sign or acquire a different center. This is probably the best option.

Option 4- Chris Wagner

Chris Wagner played in 11 games for the Ducks this season, 2 of which came in the playoffs, and he seemed to fit in with the Ducks style of play. He is a hard working two-way center who has some skill and is also not afraid to throw his weight around. He did’t record any points but he impressed me in some key games, most notably against the Kings where he was flying around on the forecheck.

Wagner is a player who could benefit from 25 games of experience to start the season. Once Thompson returns it allows Murray to send Wagner down to the AHL where he can get more playing time. This option also gives the Ducks a chance to get a better look at Wagner, much like they did with William Karlsson to start last season. Wagner could be a good solution to play the first part of the season as the 4th line center in Thompson’s absence.

Verdict: This is another great option. Wagner could gain a lot of important NHL experience and it could give the Ducks some insight onto what type of player he might become. Even if Fleischmann is the center the Ducks choose to use, Wagner could split some time with him in Thompson’s absence. This is the best option along with the Tomas Fleischmann possibility.

Final Thoughts

Signing a free agent or looking to acquire another center via trade would cause some unnecessary headaches for Bob Murray and the Ducks. They have the talent to get by without Thompson for the first 25 games to start next season and using Tomas Fleischmann and or Chris Wagner seems to be the quick efficient fix. Both need new deals as Wagner is a restricted free agent, but both could be signed for cheap and they fit in with the Ducks style of play as both seemed to understand their role when they were in the Ducks lineup throughout the regular season as well as the postseason. Re-sign both and don’t look to acquire a new center as the Ducks will likely still be able to win a ton of games in Thompson’s absence.

Statistics via war-on-ice.com

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